For the love of God and neighbor

This morning as I was reflecting on the scripture for today, you came to mind.  I was inspired to write to you as encouragement in the battle that is before us to defend the sacred dignity of the human person, the sacred right of living in accord with one’s formed conscience and the sacred gift of religious liberty.

In today’s Gospel (Mk 2:1-12), four men carried a paralytic to Jesus hoping he would be healed.  Their faith and resulting determination were so strong that they carried him to the roof, removed the tiles and let the paralytic down through the roof into the room where Jesus was.  What faith!  What hope!  What determination!

This Gospel challenges us to be equally faithful, hopeful and determined to bring others to Jesus, to help our neighbors, friends, family and political leaders know the love of Jesus Christ that brings healing and great joy-filled peace.  But this is not enough, for like the four men who brought the paralytic to the home where Jesus was; we are to bring people to the Church.  Jesus created his church upon Peter and entrusted it to him and the other Apostles so that all people will come to know Him there and be united to Him through the sacraments, be incorporated into His Body, receive saving grace and life everlasting.  In His church all live in communion and grow to know Him through the great deposit of faith: the sacred Scripture, sacred Tradition and the teaching of the magisterium of the Church, which is under the authority and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

How is it that we can do this; by boldly and confidently living in the Truth.  Today we hear in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: “As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No…but in him it is always Yes.  For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.  That is why we utter the Amen through him, to the glory of God.  But it is God who established us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us; he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” (2Cor 1:18, 19b-22) We have all received this commission in our baptism.  By our baptism, we are consecrated in Christ who is Truth.  We are sealed in Christ and receive the Spirit in our baptism and confirmation.  By living our baptismal consecration faithfully, boldly, and joyfully, it should be our natural desire to bring others to know the love that fills and sustains us.  We possess in this love the great gift of saving hope, which the world desperately needs.  Our desire to share this gift inspires and spurs us on to draw others into his steadfast and healing love and to encounter Truth.  So together we may proclaim with the psalmist today:  “But thou hast upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in thy presence for ever.  Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.” (Ps 41: 12-13, RSV)

Through the prayers of Mary, Mother of Divine Hope, may our Lord bless you with his mercy and bathe you in his hope, that you may be filled with his joy and peace and proclaim his Truth. Amen. Alleluia.

In Christ our Hope,

Sr. Susan Catherine, DDH

Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time

19 February 2012

From Bishop’s office, Diocese of Tyler

I want to share with you this communication from the office of Bishop Alvaro Corrada, SJ, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Tyler.

In Christ our Hope,

Sr. Susan Catherine, DDH

 

Feb 1, 2012

The Diocese of Tyler wants to make clear, that as Catholics, we are opposed to procedures that violate the dignity of the human person, and we do not cooperate in this being done to others. As Americans, we should enjoy the religious liberty to have no part in their provision. These are far from new concerns.  In his statement on Health Dignity, Conscience and Health Care, in December 2008, Bishop Corrada said:

“As a bishop, it is my duty to remind Catholics of our evangelical obligation to defend human dignity, which obligation cannot be altered by appeals to erroneous theological opinions or unjust legislation.  I call upon every Catholic to act in defense of human dignity with a conscience formed in accord with the Gospel and request that they contact their legislators to support freedom of conscience for those providing healthcare. I also ask the civil community to join us in defending human dignity and the right of conscience in this matter.”Bishop Alvaro Corrada, SJ  (#3)

Recently, the Administration (through HHS) abandoned respect for conscience with its mandate that all healthcare plans include contraception, sterilization, and abortion causing medications.  These drugs and procedures contradict the love of God, the gift of life, and offend against the nature and dignity of human sexuality and harm, rather than heal, the body. It is a violation to the sacred dignity of the human person.  The shocking decision of the Obama Administration that conscience would not be respected is contrary to the foundation of liberty in this great country.  Even social service institutions that hold deep and long standing objections to such services will be forced to provide funds for services against the dignity of the human person.

The Administration has made a token allowance for conscience of groups that are religious and serve few outside of their community.  This narrow exemption does not insure protection of the integrity of conscience for Catholic employers and the many religious based charitable organizations, healthcare facilities and educational institutions.  Many Catholic institutions are amongst those religious based entities that will be affected as the regulations currently stand.  How in conscience can a Catholic hospital system take funds currently being used for service of the poor and spend them on increased insurance premiums to pay for services contrary to the dignity of the human person?  How can a Catholic employer be expected to provide procedures that violate his employee’s human dignity?

Bishop Corrada again asks:  How is it, that in theUnited States, with its rich history of religious freedom and of religious service to the community, consideration could be given to enacting civil or criminal laws that would rule against the obligations of our Christian life, our consciences, and our faith-based provision of health care? Certainly, the civil community cannot expect that Catholics would violate the Gospel and human dignity because the law mandated such a violation. Faced with unjust legislation of this sort, we would vigorously seek to protect the human dignity of the patient and the right of conscience for health care workers and institutions. We would, in that situation, answer with the Apostles: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

 

 

 

Christian Citizenship

Sadly, citizens across our nation just commemorated the tragic Supreme Court decision that sanctioned the killing of the most innocent and vulnerable members of our society, the unborn. In the 39 years since this decision, over 50 million infant people have been killed and their families’ lives changed forever.

This decision, and the subsequent acts flowing from it, has divided a nation that only half a century ago stood united in the protection and defense of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, not only here but around the globe. Now we have a festering, gaping wound in our country, oozing pus throughout society as seen in the growing national policies that question the value of the lives of the elderly and the handicapped. Our government poured salt into that wound on January 20, when the Department of health and Human Services announced that nearly all employers will be forced to cover drugs and procedures that violate their conscience in their health plans. These include contraceptives, sterilization and abortifacients. (More info: see http://www.dioceseoftyler.org/respectlife.htm). This is a direct assault on respect for conscience and religious liberty. As our government sanctions the killing of innocents, it now attacks the very core of the person and the heart of our nation.

St. Peter, in writing to the Gentiles in Asia Minor, called them to be good citizens and thus show themselves to be Christians by the witness of their lives.

Be subject to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether it be to the king as supreme or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the approval of those who do good. For it is the will of God that by doing good you may silence the ignorance of foolish people. Be free, yet without using freedom as a pretext for evil, but as slaves of God. Give honor to all, love the community, fear God, honor the king. (1Pet 2:13-17)

At the time of St. Peter’s writing, the leaders and authorities were appointed or usurped authority by military power. But in our country, the authorities and their policies are by our choosing – we elect them, from the White House to city hall. Therefore, our responsibility and duty as Christians is greater than what Peter asked of the Gentiles in the early church. We are all called and will answer for our participation in the political process that defines this nation. This is part of our response in love to Christ’s sending us forth into the world to proclaim His good news.

This duty is not simple or easy; it requires study, discipline, diligence and prayer. It is hard work, but work worthy of the dignity of the human person. We are called to act in conformity with our conscience, to put leaders in place that will uphold the laws of God, the giver of all authority, which our fore fathers acknowledged in the Declaration of Independence:

“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them..” (Opening paragraph of the Declaration)

To undertake this sacred duty, we have first the responsibility of forming our own moral conscience.

Conscience is the voice inside the heart of every person that calls us to do good and to avoid evil. It is the law of truth present in each heart that aids each person to make prudent decisions congruent with the moral good. A person has integrity when he or she acts in accordance with his or her conscience. Within the conscience, a person judges an action to be good or evil; then, entrusting in hope and the promise of forgiveness, sets about to right their course toward the good. Conscience is the inner core, the seat of truth in each person. Therefore, man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. “He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters.”(Dignitatis Humane, The Declaration on Religious Liberty, 3)

Forming our conscience is a life-long endeavor of studying sacred scripture and the teaching of the Church, of participating in sacred liturgy, of seeking guidance from the wise and learned and of being aware of the church’s collective wisdom on current issues. As Christ sent his disciples out into the world to proclaim the kingdom, so we are sent forth. In our country, this calls us to engage in the political process, to bring the message of the Gospel to the public square and into the political, economic and social policies that define our nation. In doing this, we have an obligation to take into account the moral stance of politicians and other authorities. What is the foundation of the character of the person? What do they allow, what do they promote and encourage, and what do they stand for? Within the judgment of our well-formed conscience, can we support this particular person?

To fulfill this Christian duty, we need to be informed. What are the major issues that call us to take action and to take a stand? Our bishops, in their role of shepherds, have identified some: health care, education, immigration, just economy, debt, jobs (See http://usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/ and http://usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/) Most of us would identify the same issues as ones demanding our involvement.

Our voice is critical for the future of our nation and is our mandate from Christ to bring his message into the world. We are a people of Hope, and that Hope is much needed to overcome the discouragement, despair and apathy that takes root when a government sanctions the killing of the most vulnerable and infringes on the right of conscience and religious liberty of each person. Deep in the soul of each person, is the desire to know the face of Truth. With this desire is the freedom and right given by God, not by man, to the life and liberty necessary to seek, to know and to live in Truth. We are called to be people of Truth; loving God and living in his joy; proclaiming life and bringing his hope. By his grace and armed with knowledge, may we boldly undertake our responsibility as Christian citizens.

Our fore fathers had a profound sense of the rights given by God and the citizen’s responsibility in relationship to these rights. They captured that sense in the beginning of the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

May the teaching of St. Basil the Great (+379) help us call to mind our sacred dignity and our response to this great goodness: “

There is one gift that no thoughtful man can pass over in silence. God fashioned man in his own image and likeness: he gave him knowledge of himself; he endowed him with the ability to think which raised him above all living creatures; he permitted him to delight in the unimaginable beauties of paradise, and gave him dominion over everything upon earth…Nor was he content merely to summon us back from death to life; he also bestowed on us the dignity of his own divine nature and prepared for us a place of eternal rest where there will be joy so intense as to surpass all human imagination. How, then, shall we repay the Lord for his goodness to us? He is so good that he asks no recompense except our love: that is the only payment he desires.” (Office of Readings, Tuesday, 3rd week Ordinary Time)

In Christ our Hope,

Sr. Susan Catherine, DDH

25 January 2012

Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul

A Matter of Justice

Justice, and the hunger for justice, spring forth from God’s desire that we love him and love our neighbor.  Justice is the way we live out that love by seeking what is right for the other and for God.  Justice is the cardinal moral virtue which consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and to neighbor. Justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equality with regard to persons and to the common good. (CCC 1807)  In the modern Webster’s dictionary, the first definition of justice is right, truth, equity and it further states that ‘to do justice’ is to esteem, pay tribute, honor and respect.  All of these definitions of justice transcend the understanding of justice that is sought in a court-of-law.  They speak of the innate sense that human life is to be regarded with esteem, honor and respect and that justice is due to God as the creator of all life.  Furthermore, justice is rooted in truth and upholds what is right and equitable.

Abortion then is a grave injustice and an act unconscionable in a country founded on the principle “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  The right to life is not a man-made right, but a God-given right.  It is a right upon which all other rights are built, for without life no other right matters. It is the right that sustains our hope for the future.  If by man-made law, one person can arbitrarily take the innocent life of another, then there is no justice, for we have lost the truly human sense of truth, right and equality.

Let us pray:

God our Creator,

we give thanks to you,

who alone have the power to impart the breath of life as you form each of us in our mother’s womb;

Grant, we pray, that we, whom you have made stewards of creation,

may remain faithful to this sacred trust and constant in safeguarding the dignity of human life.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect from the Mass for Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life, Roman Missal

A Matter of Love

Simply put, to live is to love.  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mk 12: 29b-31) In these two sentences we see the whole life of the person.  We are each uniquely created in the image and likeness of God, endowed individually with gifts for the purpose of loving.  Our very lives, and the free will to live our lives in the service of love, are a gift from God.  God entrusts us with the care of each other, commanding us to love our neighbor as our selves. 

Yet today is the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade that legalized the most anti-love act: the taking of an innocent human life.  These innocents will never have the opportunity to love. This is a great scandal, that a country built on Judo-Christian principles, allows by the law of the land, the killing of unborn babies; over 50 million since this decision on January 22, 1973.

It is a matter of love that we accept our stewardship of life that God has given us and work to create a society where all life, from conception to a natural death, is held sacred.  Monday, January 23, is set aside as a day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life.  Tomorrow we can be united with Christians throughout our nation in prayer and also make a commitment to pray and work every day for the legal guarantee of the right of life. 

Octave of Christian Unity

Octave of Christian Unity – begins on January 18 and ends on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, January 25.  During these eight days, we are encourged to pray for the unity of all Christians. More information can be found in this article from the Vatican: http://www.zenit.org/article-34136?l=english

Prayer in the Octave of Christian Unity

May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you: so that the world may come to believe that it is you who sent me.

You are Peter.  And it is upon this rock that I will build my Church.

Let us pray.  Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will. Amen.

Feast of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, patron

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton became a patron of the Daughters of Divine Hope on January 11, 2011 when we were generously given a relic of her by Fr. Jesudoss Thomas, a priest in the Diocese of Tyler.  Today we celebrate the feast day of this first native born citizen of the United States to be canonized.  St. Elizabeth, a mother and widow who formed a religious community under the guidance of Bishop John Carroll, is a model patron for our nascent religious community.  Her feast day is set next to that of another patron, St. John N. Neumann, the first bishop from the United States to be canonized.

Tonight women from throughout the Diocese of Tyler will gather at our convent for the celebration of Holy Mass. Following Mass we will join together for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and night prayer, which begins continuous adoration and prayer until evening Mass on the feast day of St. John Neumann.  During these 20 hours, we will be praying for the bishops of the United States and Puerto Rico.

 Our Lord has asked that the Daughters of Divine Hope care for his priests.  Praying for our bishops is His holy will, for it is through the Successors of the Apostles, that our priests are called, formed, ordained, shepherded, encouraged, strengthened, united……  

In this apostolate work of prayer and fasting, we are encouraged by the words of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: “And what was the first rule of our dear Savior’s life?  You know it was to do the Father’s will.  Well, then, the first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills; and, thirdly, to do it because it is his will.” (Taken from the Liturgy of the Hours)

 Through the intercession of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, we pray that our bishops will be hearlds of the truth and courageous shepherds of those in their care.  May they be blameless in the Lord’s sight; ministering day and night to all in need.  May they always gain the favor of the Lord. Amen.

O God, who crowned with the gift of true faith Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s burning zeal to find you, grant by her intercession and example that we may always seek you with diligent love and find you in daily service with sincere faith.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy spirit, on God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect of the Mass)

Hope is Born

Hope is born.  The baby Jesus enters into the world, not just 2000 years ago, but today and every day.  His hope lives in the hearts of those who believe in him and trust in his infinite love and mercy.  May the Christ incarnate be manifest in us and through our words and deeds in each moment of our lives. May the grace of this holy season be with us always.

 

Echo still from ages past

The sin of man from first to last,

Hope embodied comes in a whisper,

The conception complete in humble fiat from her.

Mercy has come to save this world so vast.

 

A helpless child is born, meek and mild

Who by priests and leaders will be reviled,

Peaceful shepherds who protect the sheep

Follow angel choirs to watch Him sleep.

As at her breast she feeds the holy child.

 

Herod plots his own doom

The cruel death of Holy Innocents does loom,

As Magi guided by the star,

Bring gifts to the child king from afar.

Whose merciful love will pierce the gloom.

 

Her Magnificat gives glory to the Lord

Whose body she gave is pierced by the sword,

His death foretold in Old Testament

And lived in His Passion during Lent.

Is the path by which the River Styx is ford?

 

At the foot of the cross flows out her sorrow

But His miracles and promise speak of Hope for tomorrow,

His tree of death undoes Eve’s taking from the tree of life

In His Love for us, He gives birth to the Church, His wife.

The earth-haven for men; Spirit filled to the marrow.

 

Give glory to the Lady and the Child she bore

Whose humble beginning was a straw floor,

Give glory to the Trinity, three persons in One

Their wonder and majesty proclaimed by the rising sun.

Give glory to sacrificial Love enabling sinful souls to soar.

 

Sr. Susan Catherine

Do Not Be Afraid

“Do not be afraid.”  These words of comfort the angel Gabriel spoke to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  He had just greeted her with “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.”  She was troubled at these words and the angel sets out to reassure her.  He speaks more words of consolation later in this wondrous encounter: “for with God nothing is impossible” and at this point Mary gives her fiat full of complete trust in her Lord.  Often we are troubled by the surprises in life and unsure what to do and where to turn.  The assurances the angel Gabriel gave to Blessed Mary are meant for us also.  Our Lord continually tells us to not be afraid; this great comfort flows throughout sacred scripture. 

The prophet Nathan speaks to David the words of the Lord: “and I have been with you wherever you went.” (2 Sam 7:9a) The Lord reminds David that He is always present, in the everyday events of our lives. David, seeking wisdom, turned to Nathan for the guidance to know God’s will. 

As the angel Gabriel came to Mary and the prophet Nathan spoke to David, the Church, through her teaching and worship, leads us to Jesus in truth.  She is where we encounter Christ who desires that we know Him and ‘Be not afraid.’ Knowledge is the way to confidence, to the assurance of wellbeing; it is the unknown that often terrifies us.  From the beginning, man and woman have sought knowledge.  Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree because they desired the wisdom to be like God, but this is not the wisdom that leads us to truth and peace of heart, because this wisdom actually separates us from God.  What our soul seeks and where we can find comfort is in the Wisdom. 

In this octave before Christmas, the first of the “O Antiphons”, prayed on December 17, is: ‘O Wisdom of our God Most High, guiding creation with power and love: come to teach us the path of knowledge.’ Wisdom is born; the Baby Jesus, God incarnate, comes to overcome all fear. The Baby Jesus shows us the path of knowledge, of trust and of hope, for Jesus is the Way and the Truth.  The prophets of old spoke of wisdom and pointed to wisdom; Jesus is the Wisdom that we seek. “In times past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets: in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son.” (Heb 1: 1-2)  Come, Lord Jesus.  With Wisdom, there is no fear. Amen.

18 December 2011

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Signing of Vows

Sr. Susan Catherine signing her vows after her profession. Fr. Gavin Vaverek, Chaplain of the Daughters of Divine Hope, received her vows on behalf of the church and signed as witness.